The Ryder Cup is one of the world's most famous sporting events, with tens of thousands of people attending in person and millions tuning in from around the world to watch the European and United States golfing teams compete.
In 2035, the tournament is anticipated to take place in England, potentially on currently undeveloped parkland on the outskirts of Bolton. Hulton Park, near Westhoughton, is at the heart of Bolton's bid, which has been assembled by developers Peel Land and backed by Bolton Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Peel Land already has permission for the £240m project to construct a Ryder Cup golf complex and over 1,000 new homes primarily on green belt land at the park. The developer asserts that if successful, the project will generate a £1.6bn for the region, establish an international venue for local events, and create hundreds of jobs.
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They say that the project will lead to heritage restoration, new public access to the park, and improved road infrastructure. However, the planning process, which has spanned approximately seven years, has faced persistent and vocal opposition from many residents living near the Hulton park estate.
The original planning for the project was turned down by Bolton council, and it was only after two inquiries by the planning inspectorate that permission was granted. However, the entire development hinges on a crucial decision – the awarding of the 2035 Ryder Cup to Bolton, reports .
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Without this, no significant development can proceed, and the entire project would collapse. So, is it likely that we'll see golf's top players in Bolton in a decade?
A recent planning meeting extended Peel's planning permission at the site, which was set to expire in October. During these discussions, an in-depth update on the bidding process was revealed.
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Richard Knight, representing Peel, stated that a decision on the venue isn't anticipated 'until next year at the very earliest'. He said: "There have been cuts in government spending, a change in government, changes in the game of golf globally.
"We have as a result of these delays already missed the 2031 Ryder Cup event and our efforts are now focussed on 2035. We remain short-listed by 海角视频 Sport and Ryder Cup Europe and an update received this week from 海角视频 Sport officials confirms that the selection process in now moving forward again.
"Three sites were short-listed across the country, one of them was Hulton Park, the others were the Belfry and the London Club. "Neither of those venues is a new venue so don't have a growth and regeneration element.
"We believe that Hulton is the stand out site and it has the government's backing," stated Mr Knight. He revealed that 海角视频 Sport had submitted a proposal to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in late January to progress with the Ryder Cup bid, which aligns with the government's ambition to host major sporting events.
He added: "That then goes through DCMS into Treasury and into the comprehensive spending review if all goes according to plan. The process is moving, we're short-listed and I think we've got the best proposition and we've got planning permission. We couldn't have put ourselves in a stronger position."
The Ryder Cup was traditionally held in England every four years until 2002, after which other European venues took over hosting duties. There is a strong anticipation within the golfing community that England will be the host nation for the tournament in 2035.
However, not everyone shares this optimism. Coun Debbie Newall, a member of Bolton's planning committee, voiced her scepticism about the Hulton Park bid at the planning meeting.
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She said: "I was part of the original planning committee in 2018. I didn't believe we'd get the Ryder Cup then, I still don't believe we'll get it now. There's nothing been said today that assures me that the Ryder Cup is coming to Hulton. It isn't. We're on a short-list of three but there's no guarantee that it's even coming to this country."
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